Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-10-13
-Aal Err The LINNlEsS,
How the Public Lands were SQuand-
iefsi under Republican Rule.
And How a Democratic Admins
stration Restores the Public
Domain to the People.
over twenty-five Millions Acres taken
back from Robber Corporations
In = Single Month.

the day that it came into power, began
the work of giving away the public land
to railroad and land sharks of every de-
scription. The rights, interests, and
welfare Of the people were totally disre-
garded by the Republican party. Said
the Hon. s. NJ. Stockslager, member OF
the Forty-eighth Congress from Indiana:
"The American people were amazed
when they learned that on the 1st day of
July, 1852, Just forty-one days after the
homestead law was approved, the same
Congress, with reckless disregard Of
their own action never before witnessed,
granted to the Union and Pacific Rail-
roads a magnificent belt Of land forty
miles wide, extending from the Missouri
River to near the Bay Of San Francisco,
and containing to the Union Pacific 49,
I15000 acres and to the Central Pacific
15,26O0OO acres. Thus the homestead
law, by which the millions Of acres Of
unsettled land were pledged to the
people as heritage to the actual settlers
to the men of toll who would cultivate
them and make them blossom and bloom
and bear fruit-was violated, disregard
ed, and set aside, and a most gigantic
system OF reckless squandering OF the
lands inaugurated This was an entire
change in our land system, both in the
manner of disposing Of the public lands
and Of the amounts to be given. Before
that date not single acre OF the public
domain was ever granted to railroad or
other corporation. Donations OF the pub
lie lands had been made from time to
time to the States, aggregating in all
81 100, ,846 acres, for the purpose OF being
disposed of by the States in aid of educa-.
ton, for military roads, for internal inn
provements, and for railroads. But the
grants were all to the States"
The Republican party has been from
the first the monopolist party. It has
sought in every possible way to create
an aristocratic class based upon wealth.
II has not only robbed the people OF their
lands to create landed aristoeracy as
crushing as that OF England, Scotland,
and Ireland, but it has sought by tariff
protection to enrich the few by burden
ing the poor with enormous taxation
upon the prime necessities OF life. There
is no more vital question than that which
relates to the public lands, the public
domain--the broad acres designed by a
bene6cent Providence for the homes OF
the people. The Republican party has
from the first ignored the people; it has
legislated for the land -grabber, the land
thiel the land monopolist, the landed
aristocrat, and this policy Of the Re-
publican party was kept up until 200,-
000,000 acres OF land was granted to rail-
road corporations. Says Mr.. Stockslager,
now acting Land Commissioner, in his
speech in the Fortyeighth Congress
"The mind is staggered in an effort to
contemplate this imperial estate granted
to great corporations. 1t can only be
grasped by comparison. You can carve
out OF it 1,250,000 homesteads of one
hundred and sixty acres each. It is
equal to, two hundred and forty Stat IS
the size OF Rhode Island. 1t is equal in
area to seven States like Pennsylvania,
with her 1925 square miles; four and
one-half times as large as all the New
England States; equal to the thirteen
original States, which have 204,00l, ,2s0
acres. The total area OF Great Britain
and Ireland is "a, l37, 900 acres, or but
little more than one. third these grants.
There is not among all the enlightened
nations Of modern Europe one that has
an area which equals that of our railroad
kings The empire OF Austria Hungary
and the kingdom OF Italy, with Switzer-
land and the Netherlands added, have
an area of only 250,0l2,620 acres. The
creation by law of this most gigantic land
monopoly the world has ever seen must
in the very nature OF things be felt upon
our institutions and upon our people.
The example of the Federal Government
has been followed by some oil our
States, which have granted millions OF
acres OF their public lands to railroad
corporations, or sold them in large DO lies
to individuals. All the barriers have
been thrown down, and foreign and
domestic capitalists have been reaping
rlh harvest for themselves in the
purchase OF vast areas Of land. Bit SO
far as the people are concerned, they,
through their unworthy representatives
have sown the wind, and they are desti-
ne to reap the whirlwind.' 7
Tho Democratic party is now engaged,
an has been engaged at all times when
an opportunity offered, to put stop to
theSsquanaering of the public lands by
the Republican party, and now that It
has the power to stop the stupeaaous
wrong it is regaining some Of the land
the Republican party bestowed upon
railroad corporations, and which has
been forfeited. A Washington tlispstnh
,ei recent date says the Assistant Land
Ioliriissi0ner has issued orders relative
to the land of the Atlantic and Pacific
fsHlfoad, and also in reference to the
lioritla Hallway and Navigation and the
Gulf and ship Island Railway Conn
panies, whose land grants all lie in Flori-
ss'', and also to the Missouri, Kansas and
lexis. According to the estimates made
Officially, the Atlantic and Pacific orier
throws open to settlement a5,DOlial)
aerss and the orders to the Florida Iiail.
wty and Navigation Company and tie
Gnlf and Ship Island Railway Companies
will largely increase the amount OF lan.l
restored to the people, and the policy
now being pursued by the Democratic
will result in the restitu-
tsoa of fully 81. a.03 ,09 10 acres Of the public
lands to the people, and open them to
homestead settlement, enough for 3l2,-
80 farms Of l60 acres each, d hundred |
thousand more farms Than thef5 are III |
Indiana OF all sizes.
These are subjects which the people
can afford TO take into consideration.
They will discover, on the one hand, the
party throwing away the
peoples land, bestowing IL OH railroad
corporations, seeking to build up d land